Striepeck, Tobias claim wins at Destin Triathlon

Competitors plow through the early-morning surf during the swim at the Destin Triathlon on Saturday.

Courtesy photo

By BRANDON WALKER / Daily News

Published: Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 10:56 PM.

DESTIN - Alex Hernandez is not a good source to ask about the history of the Destin triathlon. After all, the annual race started eight years before he was born.

But the 13-year-old triathlete is a terrific source of information about the 21st annual running of the event, held Saturday morning in beautiful, breezy conditions. Despite being among the field’s youngest competitors, Hernandez finished the triathlon – which consisted of a 400-yard swim, a nine-mile bike ride and three-mile run – in a blistering time of 54:38, good for second place overall.

“I felt good during the race,” said Hernandez, a native of Gulf Breeze. “I guess you never know how you’re doing, but my wave went off first, so I was able to cross the line first. Conditions were pretty great today, so overall, I’d have to rate today about a nine out of 10.”

Pensacola native William Striepeck, 31, won the overall title, crossing the line in 54:09, 29 seconds better than Hernandez. Because the race featured a staggered start, sending out groups of competitors in groups rather than all at once, Striepeck was unaware he had won the race until well after the fact.

Topping a field of 187 participants, Striepeck said he started strong, noting that “The swim was nice. We had a current helping us a little bit which helped us get off to a good start. There was a bit of a headwind during the bike ride, but overall, it was a great day. When you’re competing in waves like this, you never know how good you’re doing compared to your competitors, so it becomes a battle with yourself to stay focused and finish as fast as you can. I felt comfortable challenging myself today.”

Niceville resident Julia Tobias finished fifth overall and claimed the women’s overall title. Her time of 56:24 was a full five minutes better than second-place Kathryn Vanantwerp of Lawrenceville, Ga.

“It feels good to win,” said Tobias, who ran the race with her mother and sister. “It always feels good just to finish a race like this, but I’m a very competitive person, so when I get out there on the course, I want to win. The conditions were awesome today and I felt good.”

The participants were met with clear skies and cool temperatures for the 7 a.m. race, but as the morning went along, the conditions turned windier and warmer. All in all, it was a recipe for a satisfying event.

“We had a good year this year,” said race director Sean McSheehy. “Our numbers might have been down a little because of some other events in the area, but we had a very strong field this year. We’re very pleased with how today turned out.”

DESTIN - Alex Hernandez is not a good source to ask about the history of the Destin triathlon. After all, the annual race started eight years before he was born.

But the 13-year-old triathlete is a terrific source of information about the 21st annual running of the event, held Saturday morning in beautiful, breezy conditions. Despite being among the field’s youngest competitors, Hernandez finished the triathlon – which consisted of a 400-yard swim, a nine-mile bike ride and three-mile run – in a blistering time of 54:38, good for second place overall.

“I felt good during the race,” said Hernandez, a native of Gulf Breeze. “I guess you never know how you’re doing, but my wave went off first, so I was able to cross the line first. Conditions were pretty great today, so overall, I’d have to rate today about a nine out of 10.”

Pensacola native William Striepeck, 31, won the overall title, crossing the line in 54:09, 29 seconds better than Hernandez. Because the race featured a staggered start, sending out groups of competitors in groups rather than all at once, Striepeck was unaware he had won the race until well after the fact.

Topping a field of 187 participants, Striepeck said he started strong, noting that “The swim was nice. We had a current helping us a little bit which helped us get off to a good start. There was a bit of a headwind during the bike ride, but overall, it was a great day. When you’re competing in waves like this, you never know how good you’re doing compared to your competitors, so it becomes a battle with yourself to stay focused and finish as fast as you can. I felt comfortable challenging myself today.”

Niceville resident Julia Tobias finished fifth overall and claimed the women’s overall title. Her time of 56:24 was a full five minutes better than second-place Kathryn Vanantwerp of Lawrenceville, Ga.

“It feels good to win,” said Tobias, who ran the race with her mother and sister. “It always feels good just to finish a race like this, but I’m a very competitive person, so when I get out there on the course, I want to win. The conditions were awesome today and I felt good.”

The participants were met with clear skies and cool temperatures for the 7 a.m. race, but as the morning went along, the conditions turned windier and warmer. All in all, it was a recipe for a satisfying event.

“We had a good year this year,” said race director Sean McSheehy. “Our numbers might have been down a little because of some other events in the area, but we had a very strong field this year. We’re very pleased with how today turned out.”